I’m taking over a family collection held in Paris, selling part of it on this page: if you're fond of the Dutch Golden Age or of early French classicism, you're in the right place.
My principles:
- Authenticity – Works for sale are not reproductions, but originals from the 17th, 18th and early 19thc., all printed on ancient laid paper with the copper plate engraved and signed by the artist;
- Quality – I’m not selling the odds and ends of this family collection: you’ll find featured there some of the most celebrated masters of art history (Rembrandt, Van Dyck) and the most famous of engravers (Callot, Ostade…);
- Fair price – I align with the median price of the object observed at major houses (Bassenge, Swann…); counter-offers are welcome for multi-buy;
- Expertise – Being a collector and an academic, I provide what most auction houses and other sellers don’t: a full technical report, so you know precisely what you’re buying and can compare it with copies of top collections (British Museum, Rijksmuseum, BnF…);
Overview of items sold: https://www.ebay.fr/itm/305523152869
Overview of items still for sale: https://www.ebay.fr/itm/305548818655
Gravure de Léon Subercaze, signée par Subercaze sur la plaque en bas à gauche
Histoire de la gravure : La toile originale du Maurithuis est caractéristique de la dernière période d'Ostade, la "période joyeuse" (Berndt) où prédomine l'expression des sentiments individuels. Ostade n'a pas gravé lui-même cette toile; la plupart de ses gravures des années 1670 sont de format beaucoup plus modeste (voir sur notre page La Dévideuse de 1668, ou la Conversation de 1671). Notre graveur, Subercaze, était le grand copiste de Rembrandt, Ostade et Bega dans la France du 19ème; lui-même n'avait pas d'intention malveillante, ces copies étant prévues pour illustrer des manuels d'histoire de l'art, ou des albums; mais elles étaient si ressemblantes que des vendeurs peu scrupuleux les écoulaient comme des originaux, à une époque où il était difficile de les comparer avec les versions des musées et bibliothèques. Il s'agit ici d'un cas rare où Subercaze a gravé un tableau original d'Ostade et signé sous son nom propre. Connaissant parfaitement le style d'Ostade, on peut penser qu'il a voulu représenter ce qu'aurait été l'estampe si Ostade lui-même avait gravé son propre tableau.
Adriaen van Ostade (1610-1685), The Violinist in Front of an Inn, 1673, Mauritshuis
Engraving by Léon Subercaze, plate-signed lower-left
History of the Engraving: The original painting from the Mauritshuis is characteristic of Ostade's late period, the "joyous period" (Berndt), where the expression of individual sentiments predominates. Ostade did not etch this canvas himself; most of his engravings from the 1670s are of much smaller format (see on our page The Spinner from 1668, or The Conversation from 1671). Our engraver, Subercaze, was the great copyist of Rembrandt, Ostade, and Bega in 19th-century France; he himself had no malicious intent, as these copies were intended to illustrate art history textbooks or albums; but they were so resemblant that unscrupulous sellers passed them off as originals, at a time when it was difficult to compare them with versions from museums and public libraries. This is a rare case where Subercaze engraved an original Ostade painting and signed it under his own name. Knowing Ostade's style perfectly, one can assume that he wanted to represent what the print would have been like if Ostade himself had engraved his own painting.
Literature: Béraldi-XII-61
Condition: 14.2 x 13 cm / Lettering: “Leon Subercaze sculp[tit] / “A[driaen van] Ostade pinx[it]” / Deep impression; all details are visible / Very good overall condition, without any traces of humidity / Very wide margins; mounted at the upper corners on a passepartout
Authenticity: Medium-weight laid paper, off-white / Compare with the version from the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Genève: https://www.mahmah.ch/collection/oeuvres/scene-villageoise-avec-des-paysans-ecoutant-un-violoniste/e-2016-0587 / Stamp of the Winfield Robbins collection (1841-1910)